Erika & I were invited to represent WhatIWear at DC's 2012 Fashion Week, and we wanted to share our experience with you! obviously, we accepted this invitation, in support of the cause to prove to the world that Washington, DC is fashionable! our Friday night was casually spent at the Embassy of Ukraine showcasing four Ukrainian designer collections. it was the first show we've attended together, naturally, we just walked around like we owned the place (what else would we do?) it was great to get a little bit of international inspiration as well as view how people from other parts of the world interpret fashion and style. and the after-parties weren't to shabby either! move over Congress, fashion is taking over our city!

{rainy drive in to Georgetown}

{Ean Williams, the Executive Director of DC Fashion Week, looking ever so stylish in a plum, velvet suit. he opens the show declaring, we are a "city of style," made up of "different styles from all around the world."}

{lime green}

{deep V's}

{grays + pastels}

{color blocking & an oversized metal cuff}

{graphic shapes && prints}

{bold && bright && structured}

{meet the designers ~ you can visit dcfashionweek.org to view their entire fall collections}

*WhatIWear is a website where real people can post their personal style. It is dedicated to liberating and inspiring people, and ridding those of their own style doubts. I definitely recommend checking it out, and participating!

Feb 29, 2012

so i (sort of) hoard clothes, because i truly believe that fashion is like the circle of life, it just keeps going around and around. trends and silhouettes tend to come back in style even decades later, and therefor sometimes i cannot bring myself to purge certain items in my closet. what if my style changes? what if this comes back in? what if i have an outfit that would have gone perfect with this? i know, my life is so hard. so i really love it when something old finds its way to jump out at me and act as the finishing touch to a great look. it makes me feel less like i am just a few piles of clothes and a dead cat away from being on A&E. and this Express vest, circa 2001, is a perfect example to prove my case. without it, my outfit would have been mearly jeans and striped blouse, no effort at all. and though this particular blouse is gosh darn amazing, now the look is layered and fabulous and just screams "Natalie!" (or Cher of Clueless, whichever you prefer).

Feb 23, 2012

it only seems fair that if my jewlery gets to be metallic and shiney, that I let the rest of my wardrobe in on the fun. ever since NY Fashion Week, and a little bit of "pinspiration"(seen below), silver and gold metallic details have caught my eye and officially sparked my interest. where would you like to see some hardware in your wardrobe? my preference is on my feet, and right now Zara has a few amazing pairs of shiney shoes that i need to get my hands on.

Feb 22, 2012

{DO} wear pastel's in the winter.ever since the Golden Globe's I have been obsessing over pale pinks and blush tones.

an article of faux fur and a hidden hair tie have really been my key to style success lately. firstly, i really enjoy the angle of this shot, for multiple, yet simple, reasons. not to stray away from how special my side pony is, but wrapping a strand of hair around your hair tie should practically be a basic requirement of life. using this "technique" (if we can even call it that) creates a polished updo. it's as effortless as perfectionism can possibly be. now, we can take a second and aim our attention more at the fact that i am clearly never afraid to use anything remotely reflective as an impromptu mirror. my cousin caught me in the act and i'm not mad about it, my side pony rules! if i only knew we were about to get caught in a flash blizzard and that i had blown my hair dry for no reason today.

a true fashionably broke girl would never pay full price, but waits until she gets an email offering a whopping 40% off introductory sale on this season's collections. but we must keep true to the fashionable girl inside of us all, and splurge where it counts. on an ombre, faux fur coat and an amazing pair of taupe boots that will pay for themselves in the number of times I can wear them, because they literally go with, I dont know, EVERYTHING!

and yes, you are witnessing my 'Sex in the City' moment to it's fullest. what do you mean, I always hang out on front stoops?

Feb 21, 2012

i was beyond excited when one of my favorite boutiques chose me for their first ever StyleMeMamie Bestie Borrow Competition! here's how it works: the lovely ladies behind Shop Mamie sent me a piece from their stylish store to style and then pass along to my bestie to borrow/style. this was the perfect task for my bestie & i to take on. our styles are so similar yet still so veryyy different, so i was so eager to see how we would each go about styling this awesome dress ~ the Voilet Vixen Tunic! and it went just as i expected ... i went a little more mod & retro and she went for a classic, flirty look. SO us!

this was such a fun and eye-opening experience to see how even though we have the same (great) taste for fashion, each of us has our own personal style that seems to suit us well in our own great ways. a BIG thank you to the Mamie Girls for allowing Fashionably Broke be a part of this and if you haven't clicked on their link yet, i urge to do so now! they hand-pick everything in their store and everything they carry is under $100. how perfect for those of us who are Fashionably Broke?!